I'm not overly impressed with the DT class this year. The LB class is much better and deeper. I would rather us draft a MLB because of Simmons age and if we can improve over what we have then I say we go for it.

In the first round, Chris Houston would be a great fit if we were able to get him at 27. I'd prefer Aaron Ross but Houston is a good selection.
In the second I'm leaning more towards not drafting Craig Davis. I'd rather have Ben Patrick in the 2nd. It's a slight reach but his stock keeps going up and he's the type of TE that we need to complete the offense.
In the third round, DeOssie is a good player and someone who can turn into a Zach Thomas type of LB. I like the guy a lot and I have actually been thinking of going for either him or H.B. Blades in the third. Since it's a toss-up for me to choose between either of those players, then I can say that I am happy with the pick of DeOssie.

Not huge on the second round WR pick, but I love the DeOssie pick. A lot of people are really big on him right now. His father played in the NFL and he went to an Ivy League school (Brown) so you know he's gotta be a smart guy. I never once saw him play, but from the looks of it he was pretty productive, and he's got great measurables.

__________________The Poster Formerly Known As #1SaintsFanSig by jkpigskin

I love the DeOssie pick. A lot of people are really big on him right now. His father played in the NFL and he went to an Ivy League school (Brown) so you know he's gotta be a smart guy. I never once saw him play, but from the looks of it he was pretty productive, and he's got great measurables.

I know I will catch some heat but, I just think that Sidney Rice is an awesome WR, I would love it if the Saints traded up into the early/middle of the 2nd and took Sidney if he fell that far because he is a 1st round talent but there are some great WRs this year.
Or another Idea if Quentin Moses slips to us in the 2nd he might be worth taking just for talent, he had a bad year but I think he will be a stud.
the 2nd should either be a WR/LB
in the 3rd go with LB/DT

I think signing Brian Simmons allows the Saints to wait until the 3rd to look at a linebacker, especially since defensive tackle is such a pressing need and this is a really deep linebacker draft.

I love Hollis Thomas and Brian Young for now, but in a few years it'll be time for someone new. If Justin Harrell or Quinn Pitcock is around it'd be pretty dumb to not take them. They both excell against the run, which is definitely something the Saints need improvement in.

The reason for that is because I think that Quinn Pitcock and Justin Harrell will be gone by our selection. I am not completely sold on us drafting Craig Davis. I also feel that we could land a really good linebacker in the 3rd Rd.
After Greg Olsen, Tight Ends really lose value and I feel the only good one after Olsen is Patrick. Also, Patrick fits our scheme really well and can come in and immediately be the #2 TE on the roster. Plus, with his stock soaring right now I don't think picking him in the second round would be that big of a reach.

Tight Ends? Tight Ends?! Don't talk about.... Tight Ends?! I just hope we can have a defense!

Seriously though, between Eric Johnson, Mark Campbell, and Billy Miller we are solid enough at tight end. While adding a young talented player would be nice, it just isn't that big of a need, especially not second round. I've been openly against taking a WR in the second, but I would much, much rather go WR than TE if both are realistic options when we pick. Come on, guys... is a tight end really going to improve the team we had last season?

Anyway, this is a really, really, REALLY tough decision for me between LB David Harris and DT Quinn Pitcock. Both guys are the epitome of what we need to add on defense. Both are very hard workers, have top-notch intangibles, non-stop motors, and they are LEADERS. While neither is flashy, they play with heart and smarts, give 110% every game, and simply get the job done.

With that said, Pitcock would be a better value pick for us, so I think we should take him if he's on the board. While I am not one of them, I know a lot of people would consider David Harris a bit of a reach. I would be simply ecstatic if we could land either.

__________________The Poster Formerly Known As #1SaintsFanSig by jkpigskin

It looks good, but I don't like taking Buster Davis in the 2nd considering the other pressing needs of the team.

If Quinn Pitcock or Justin Harrell (unlikely, I know) are around, I'd imagine one of them would be the pick. If they're not, I wouldn't mind taking a linebacker in the 2nd (maybe H.B. Blades?) and going after a DT in the third (that big guy out of Oklahoma State? McBean, I think. Maybe thats a little early for him, but I love his measureables.)

1- Chris Houston (CB, Arkansas): somehow he lasted to us at #27 and we take him. he would fill the 'need' that we have yet to address in FA. he is FAST, strong, and has charatcter. he starts out as a nickle for the 1st part of the season and then he works his way to starting in the middle to late part of the season. our future 'shutdown CB'.

2- Craig 'Buster' Davis (WR, LSU): since the loss of Horn, a WR is needed. Craig can catch, has speed, PR ability, and is SMART. Payton was at LSU's pro-day looking at Bowe and Davis...he would come in and possibly be our #2 to Colston or #3 to Devery. I would like Anthony Gonazlez (Ohio St) at this slot as well but he won't be around.

3- Ryan Harris (OL, Notre Dame): now why would we need a OL? well Payton believes a 'good draft' always includes a OL. Like a a Payton player, Ryan is smart, has lots of expeirence, and well played for Weiss who Parcells knows = maybe gives Payton a tip. he could provide us depth at LT, and at G...in which we need.

4a- Antonio Johnson (NT, Missi St): well we need DT depth and most importantly a NT after Hollis. the saints are looking a for NT, not a 3-tech etc. Antonio fits the bill for that! he has great size at 6'3 and 306 pounds. impressed at the senior bowl with his hustle and ability to beat out a few OL. he is a BIG sleeper. he would be our future starting NT after Hollis retires.

4b- Jay Moore (DE, Nebraska): now, with Grant's future in limbo we need depth at the DE spot. behind Grant and Smith, we don't have much.Ninkovich, has potential but he is coming from a torn acl. Whitehead, is 36 and is on the down-side of his career. Cooper is a project and improving. Jay, would add the depth were lacking. he had a OUTSTANDING senior bowl, is smart, blue collar type, and has size/run. sounds like a Payton player to me!

4c- Prescott Burgess (LB, Mich): well we need depth at the LB'er position. believe it or not, were set at LB'er with Fujita, Simmons and Shanle. Prescott is a smart, hard-working player, who can run and can play all 3 LB positions. Payton LOVES versatility. he can help us out on ST and be a top backup at all 3 spots.

5- Kevin Boss (TE, Western Oregon): are we really set at TE? Eric Johnson is a bona-fide starting TE but is injury prone. now we have Campbell but he is a blocker, Miller who is really only a backup and Owens who is a ST guy. this may-be a little too high to take Boss but he is a BIG TIME sleeper. has good size, can catch and will add depth to the TE corps to make it a strength to us. i love his potential.

6- Isaiah Stanback (QB/WR, Washington): QB isn't a sure spot AFTER Brees. Martin, is 36 and counting + in last year of his contract. Fife, is a project. Stanback, who is raw himself but has potential. Payton could work with him. he can also be our 'slash' and maybe get in at WR which can provide us depth. another player who is versatlie which Payton LOVES. interesting player.

7- Daren Stone (S, Maine): Small school guy, who is a sleeper and could provide us depth at SS, in which we don't have right now. Bellamy is a UFA, and Reis is a camp-body. Stone, has GREAT size at 6'3 and is very physical. he can come in and even help us at ST, but is a project as well.

I ran across a CB that put up some astounding numbers on his pro-day
Courtney Brown CB Cal Poly
He ran a 4.34 40 and is 6,1 3/8 he had seven picks in his junior season and the last two years has totaled 95 tackles.
He would be an interesting late round pick in with either the 5th or 6th round pick or maybe even a 4th rounder.
I think a WR in the 2nd round would be a good idea as long as we got value with the pick, my view on draft picks is that if you have even the slightest of need at the position you take the best value and WR is a small need.

There are a lot of different ways we can go with this pick. Picking a CB (which is out biggest need) in the 1st round is a great start to upgrading our defense. I was really tempted to vote for Mason Crosby (K) with this pick because John Carney is old and he would immediately give us a great special teams weapon for many years to come. However; we also have needs at DT, WR and LB. If we want to get a #2 WR in the Draft this very well might be our last chance (all though we did find our #1 in the 7th round last year). I didn't vote for a WR simply because it seems likely that we pick up one in Free Agency (Keenan McCardell?) and we also have a great RB that can catch coming out of the back-field, so that leaves DT and LB. We did improve out LB core in Free Agency so I ended up going for a DT in Justin Harrell out of Tennessee because he would give great value late in the 2nd round (if he is available).

i think with the high wash out rate on WR it would be wise to get some depth on both sides of the ball on the front lines in the 2nd and 3rd round me myself i like the looks of david ball all he lacks from being a elite player is the blazing speed and he can be got in the 4rth or 5th round. Not sure many will agree with me but i feel as if we will get are best players in the later rounds i really think we might get 3 starters with the last 6 picks in this yrs draft

I'm sure a few of you guys won't be in love with my mock, but this is exactly the type of draft I would like for us to have. So, without further ado, here is my Saints mock draft:

1.27 - Aaron Ross, CB, Texas
I'm a firm believer that we have to take one of the top five corners here if any are available. Ross happens to be my favorite, so basically this pick is wishful thinking, although I think there is a pretty decent chance of Ross in black and gold next season.

2.58 - David Harris, ILB, Michigan
This may be a bit of a reach, but no more than Roman Harper was last year. I am very high on Harris. He's a hard worker with outstanding intangibles, had very productive junior and senior years in college, and he is the leader that every team wants at MLB. Athletically he won't wow you, but he's a "football player" who just gets the job done, and I see a good bit of DeMeco Ryans-like potential in him. Ideally, Simoneau would become the primary backup at both OLB positions, and Harris would be the backup to Simmons for a year or two (depending on how Simmons performs) before taking over at MLB.

3.89 - Josh Gattis, S, Wake Forest
Even after bringing in Kaesviharn, we need some depth at safety. I expect Kaesviharn and Bullocks to battle for the starting FS spot, with the loser becoming backup. At SS, Harper should be the starter, but he still has questions surrounding the injury. Scott and Stoutmire are gone, and I don't expect Bellamy to be brought back either, leaving Steve Gleason (who should be used exclusively on special teams) as the 4th and final safety on our roster. Gattis was highly productive in college and has a good deal of NFL potential. In Scott's words, he "should at the very least be a backup and an excellent special teamer."

4.119 - Chansi Stuckey, WR, Clemson
Stuckey is a guy who I think will fall this far due to his running a 4.65 at the combine, which would be a blessing in disguise if we could get him here. Stuckey plays A LOT faster than his 40 time would indicate. He has good hands and can make plays after the catch. He's not the most polished player and needs time to develop, but if he reaches his potential he could be a Steve Smith-type player.

4.121 - Baraka Atkins, DE, Miami
We could use some depth at DE behind Will Smith and Charles Grant, and quite possibly a future replacement for Grant. Atkins is a player who has been very underrated during the whole process leading up to the draft, IMO. He's versatile, having experience at both DE and DT (although I think it's a given that he'll be used at DE). He isn't "great" at rushing the passer or stopping the run, but he's "good" at both. Ran a sub-4.7 40 at 270+ lbs. Nice potential.

4.122 - Antonio Johnson, DT, Mississippi State
He's not very experienced and did not produce that much, but Johnson has all the tools to become a monster at DT. The risk here, using our third 4th round pick, is not a very big one, and the possible payoff could be huge. A developmental player who is probably the "boom or bust" type, but definitely worth taking a chance on here.

5.153 - Michael Allan, TE, Whitworth
The biggest knock on Allan (and boy, is it big) is that he only played DIII ball. The level of talent surrounding him was obviously not what it would have been had he played DI or even DII. However, just reading Scott's report on Allan reminds me very much of another TE that used to be Brees' main target: "Leaper with good ball skills... seems to know how to get open and how to use his body... exceptional hands... runs well after the catch... also played basketball." His workout numbers were also outstanding. I think our group of TE's is solid enough to take a chance on this guy, and let's see what he can do against some real competition.

6.184 - Chris Leak, QB, Florida
Leak will probably never be a starter in the NFL, but he's a guy who could develop into a solid backup. He proved this past year that he's a leader and he knows how to win. He needs to work on certain aspects of his game a good bit, but with his evident passion for playing football, I think he's a guy who will be 100% committed to getting better. Jamie Martin is getting older and Leak is a guy who could eventually become the backup to Drew.

7.201 - Onrea Jones, WR, Hampton
Could he be the next Marques Colston? Extremely doubtful, but he could be a guy who could surprise some people and make a roster. He has a lot of upside as a WR, and is also a good special teams player. At the very least he could make our practice squad and work his way up. His athleticism and special teams potential makes him worth taking a shot on.

__________________The Poster Formerly Known As #1SaintsFanSig by jkpigskin

I'm sure a few of you guys won't be in love with my mock, but this is exactly the type of draft I would like for us to have. So, without further ado, here is my Saints mock draft:

1.27 - Aaron Ross, CB, Texas
I'm a firm believer that we have to take one of the top five corners here if any are available. Ross happens to be my favorite, so basically this pick is wishful thinking, although I think there is a pretty decent chance of Ross in black and gold next season.

2.58 - David Harris, ILB, Michigan
This may be a bit of a reach, but no more than Roman Harper was last year. I am very high on Harris. He's a hard worker with outstanding intangibles, had very productive junior and senior years in college, and he is the leader that every team wants at MLB. Athletically he won't wow you, but he's a "football player" who just gets the job done, and I see a good bit of DeMeco Ryans-like potential in him. Ideally, Simoneau would become the primary backup at both OLB positions, and Harris would be the backup to Simmons for a year or two (depending on how Simmons performs) before taking over at MLB.

I love these picks, i'm not so sure Harris is that much of a reach. I've got a feeling he might be off the board before we pick in round 2.

I seriously, seriously doubt we could get both of Tampa's second round picks. The value of those picks combined would be slightly greater than the 21st pick in the draft, which is just unrealistic to expect for Grant. I'd say at the very best we could get one of Tampa's second rounders this year and a conditional 2nd/3rd next year. However, we could be incredibly stupid to trade an already angry Grant to one of our divisional rivals. If we're going to trade him anywhere, Tampa is not going to be the place. It doesn't seem to me like you completely thought this out.

__________________The Poster Formerly Known As #1SaintsFanSig by jkpigskin